# What's the most expensive pipe that you own?



## iggy_jet (Dec 27, 2012)

My understanding of a pipe is that it's a tool.
I know some look better then others and some have more expensive materials, but it's still a tool for smoking.
You can make one from a piece of wood or a corn cob.. 
I think the most expensice pipe I have I paid about $60 for, I it smokes about the same as the once's that I got at a yard sale in a lot of 6 for $10.

I was just on Ebay and there is a pipe for sale at $20000.00, yes that's twenty thousand dollars.
Would you pay that much? If yes, why?

//www.ebay.com/itm/BO-NORDH-pipe-79-sweden-perfect-/350693252387?_trksid=p2045573.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D555001%26algo%3DPW.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D146%26meid%3D5529769554748474547%26pid%3D100034%26prg%3D1079%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D320890642442%26


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

iggy_jet said:


> I was just on Ebay and there is a pipe for sale at $20000.00, yes that's twenty thousand dollars.


I'm not even sure why it would be that much. I mean...like where's the nice case? :dunno: The most expensive one I've seen on ebay was $12K, but it belonged to King Edward VIII, aka the Duke of Windsor, unsmoked Dunhill with a VERY nice case. (He smoked Sasieni pipes. :smile I can't imagine this one Nordh having anything like that lineage -- or as nice a case.

The most expensive pipe I own is Savinelli 120 Anni. Paid $125 for it, unsmoked -- and it at LEAST had a nice box! :tsk:


----------



## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

I guess if i was filthy rich and money was no object i would own a twenty thousand dollar pipe. But i am not filthy rich and my most expensive pipe costs around a hundred bucks!


----------



## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

freestoke said:


> I'm not even sure why it would be that much. I mean...like where's the nice case? :dunno: The most expensive one I've seen on ebay was $12K, but it belonged to King Edward VIII, aka the Duke of Windsor, unsmoked Dunhill with a VERY nice case. (He smoked Sasieni pipes. :smile I can't imagine this one Nordh having anything like that lineage -- or as nice a case.
> 
> The most expensive pipe I own is Savinelli 120 Anni. Paid $125 for it, unsmoked -- and it at LEAST had a nice box! :tsk:


Well I was about to tell you to just sell 20 of your $1,000.00 dollar pipes, but I guess that won't work for you either.


----------



## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

I guess everyone thinks its a tad high in price LOL!

Got an extra $20k ?


----------



## iggy_jet (Dec 27, 2012)

This is one of the pipes I have and the most expensive.
Savinelli, I am giving this one to my father in law next month on his birthday.


----------



## [OT] Loki (May 24, 2006)

1930 dunhill


----------



## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

It is a hang of a lot of money. On the other hand, they stopped making those, and to my knowledge, there isn't a master alive who has taken the torch from Bo as the best pipe maker in the world. I wouldn't pay $20,000 for a pipe, but in this case, I could see why someone would. Besdies, it is way better than the $19,000 Bo Nordh on eBay right now.

I believe the most I paid for a pipe was $180 for a 4 clover Viprati, unsmoked.

RD


----------



## YoungCurmudgeon (Jan 23, 2013)

I paid $15 for a carve your own drilled blank at a. Antique store. All the rest have been less. I plan to spend $30 on the grab bag of 10 MM seconds and eventualy buy a Celtic theamed pear burl pipe from pipe maker Author Garmanov from the Ukraine. That's gona set me back $45 shipped. He has other pipes I like as well but I think about $50 is the most I would be willing to spend when cobs smoke nicely and are inexpensive. I will be scouring the estate sales this summer for sure though!


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Most I've spent is $250 for my Castello. Next in line are my Cavicchis at around $170 a pop. And yes, they smoke better than the cheaper pipes I have. The Cavicchis, at least; the Castello was a bit of a disappointment, though just a bit.

Would I spend $20,000 on a pipe, if such a thing were in my budget (and it would have to be one hell of a budget, let me tell you!)? Maybe. But not _that_ pipe.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

iggy_jet said:


> My understanding of a pipe is that it's a tool.
> I know some look better then others and some have more expensive materials, but it's still a tool for smoking.


A wrench is a tool for tightening nuts. Some people will settle for whatever is at Harbor Freight, some have to have Craftsman, and some won't settle for less than Snap-On.


----------



## GoJohnnyGo (Nov 19, 2011)

I spent $160 on a mario grandi giant. Was it worth it? Maybe? It's a great pipe and I have no regrets so that's all that matters.


----------



## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

My Dunhill Group 2 Billiard was $171, and I love it so much. It's by far my favorite smoker. Most of the others I own were $100 or less. I do have my eye out for just the right Cavicchi, but haven't found my sole mate yet...

Would I pay $20,000 for a pipe, maybe if I was filthy rich and bored...


----------



## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

$460.00
A bit out of my comfort zone, but I wanted the pipe.
I prolly wouldn't go any higher.
Imagine how ya'd feel if ya dropped a thousand dollar pipe. :bawling:


----------



## TTecheTTe (Jun 10, 2012)

Hold your socks, I have two:
$9.99 Missouri Meershaum Diplomat Fifth Avenue Bent

and, wait for it...
$9.99 Missouri Meershaum Diplomat Apple Bent

Oh, plus shipping!

These fine HTF puppies deserved to have their names spelled out in their entirety.........


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

TTecheTTe said:


> Hold your socks, I have two:
> $9.99 Missouri Meershaum Diplomat Fifth Avenue Bent
> 
> and, wait for it...
> ...


The shipping's a killer on an expensive pipe. Insurance and whatnot...plus, you have to watch out about drawing that much out of your account all at once without having to fill out the bank disclosure forms.


----------



## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

I have a Dr. Grabow that was my Grand Father's, then my Father's. As far as I am concerned, it is priceless.


----------



## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I have a Tinskey that I paid $185 for and it's currently missing so I'm a little bitter about that.

I have about 5 pipes that were in the $140-$165 range


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I've been rethinking this a bit. It's seems to me I paid $35 for the Sasieni Mayfair, which was WAY too much at the time, 1973-ish -- but I liked the pipe a lot and one didn't go scouting around on the web to find a better deal back then. That would work out to something like $141 these days. So, I'm changing my answer: the Sasieni Mayfair.


----------



## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

Peterson bent Bulldog silver spigot fish tail red, $185


----------



## TTecheTTe (Jun 10, 2012)

freestoke said:


> The shipping's a killer on an expensive pipe. Insurance and whatnot...plus, you have to watch out about drawing that much out of your account all at once without having to fill out the bank disclosure forms.


Yeah, really had me thinking hard twice, for each, as S/H/I was blowing my budget. Really did fear that alert to the IRS, and double-checked w/the bank first. The work, and STRESS, of PAD $$$$ HTF is overwhelming and my next pipe will be cheap, for sure.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> I've been rethinking this a bit. It's seems to me I paid $35 for the Sasieni Mayfair, which was WAY too much at the time, 1973-ish -- but I liked the pipe a lot and one didn't go scouting around on the web to find a better deal back then. That would work out to something like $141 these days. So, I'm changing my answer: the Sasieni Mayfair.


Well, if we account for inflation, I have to change my answer as well. I paid $75 for a Pioneer calabash with a meer bowl in '76.


----------



## Michigan_Moose (Oct 11, 2011)

I have a couple of Ben Wades that are over 200.00 I have a few HWiebe pipes that are worth more then that.


----------



## JohnnyDarkside (Dec 19, 2012)

Maybe if it came with a busty Swiss miss to pack and light for me, I might consider that. It is a beaut, though. Only have a couple briars so far, and a Leonessa half-bent billiard for about $45 and my Baraccini Tulip for about $55. Not a big spender am I.


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

I think I've never spent more than about 100 Dollars on a single estate pipe. I would say that some of the pipes are worth multiples of that - I've seen similar ones go for those prices. I love a bargain, me.


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

A little note on the pipe at the origin of this thread...

We simply don't know what this pipe is worth. We only know what the owner wants to be paid for it, no arguments. There are 17 offers on the pipe presently, none of which are close enough to the owner's true valuation for him to bite. We will only know what the market values this pipe at when it sells.

We've all seen, I'm sure, pipes on eBay where we've said "That's ridiculous. This pipe is worth a fraction of what this guy's asking." For all I personally know, this Nordh may be in the same category. I don't have any connection to pipes in this price range so I can't comment on what similar have "gone" for.

Is this or any pipe worth that much? Only in terms of collectibility. The superb grain on this pipe won't matter a jot to it as a smoking tool. The reputation of the carver similarly. I would doubt that this will ever become an issue in any case. It's now very unlikely (sadly) that this pipe will ever be smoked. It might be a terrible, "worthless" pipe...


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

steinr1 said:


> Is this or any pipe worth that much? Only in terms of collectibility. The superb grain on this pipe won't matter a jot to it as a smoking tool. The reputation of the carver similarly. I would doubt that this will ever become an issue in any case. It's now very unlikely (sadly) that this pipe will ever be smoked. It might be a terrible, "worthless" pipe...


Point, point, counterpoint, Robert, you ignorant snuffslut. As to the grain? :dunno: Yeah, nice grain, but I've seen as good on pipes a hundredth the asking price. The grain on my Savinelli 120 Anni isn't all THAT bad, and it only cost $125.










And believe it or not, I used to own this Comoy's Blue Riband, but I decided to sell it and buy a few other pipes to replace it. Looked like pretty nice grain to me, and for a lot less than $20K. :lol:










I mean...how good can the grain be? A hole in one is a hole in one, no matter who hit the shot, ya know? Now if it was Picasso's own pipe that he made in his studio, you'd have something. (Wow, he painted a lot of pipes! :shock


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

To *me*, no pipe is worth that much money. I'm a smoker first, a collector second. My family and I live quite comfortably, but I could never spend that kinda money on something like that. That's more than I paid for my car! Most of my pipes are estates, the others are relatively inexpensive. I totally get the collector side of the pipe hobby, but my collectible pipes are all daily smokers, and they're all inexpensive pipes.

Now....is that pipe worth $20k? Not to me. Maybe to someone. It is a Bo Nordh - fantastic pipe maker (from what I've heard), and he's dead - so there will never be another one. That pipe doesn't really fit my style, but it fits someone's. It looks to be in pristine condition, and has some of the most gorgeous grain I've ever seen.

I'm having déjà vu. Has this pipe been on eBay before? I feel like I've had this exact same conversation before.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

steinr1 said:


> Is this or any pipe worth that much? Only in terms of collectibility. The superb grain on this pipe won't matter a jot to it as a smoking tool. The reputation of the carver similarly. I would doubt that this will ever become an issue in any case. It's now very unlikely (sadly) that this pipe will ever be smoked. It might be a terrible, "worthless" pipe...


I fguess that will always be a limiting factor for me; I figure I can't afford to spend more than $10 on a pipe I'm not going to smoke...


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> To *me*, no pipe is worth that much money...It is a Bo Nordh - *fantastic pipe maker (from what I've heard), and he's dead* - so there will never be another one.


That could be said about any number of great pipe makers. That's what I don't get about this pipe: it has no distinguishing extra-pipe world features. The pipe is attractive, no doubt, and equally without question well made, but so what? Who the hell ever heard of Nordh (I never really noticed his name before now), except pipe smokers? To command a price tag like that, it seems to me it would require an outside factor, like the connection to the Duke of Windsor for that Dunhill I saw. It needs something to distinguish it from the scads of equally beautiful $4000 pipes, otherwise it's merely another very nice expensive pipe with a 500% markup for no apparent reason.


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

gahdzila said:


> I'm having déjà vu. Has this pipe been on eBay before? I feel like I've had this exact same conversation before.


And that's exactly the point. This pipe clearly ISN'T worth 20K. No-one is willing to pay that much on more than one offering (I remember this as well). When it sells, it'll be worth exactly what was paid for it. I'll offer $100.

Which is probably twice what I paid for this Ropp Versailles. I don't smoke it as I simply don't like it much, but as a collector it must be had. It has the one small visible flaw in the wood (damn this flash photography) so I'll offer it to the first bidder over $5000. Bargain.

View attachment 75181


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

steinr1 said:


> And that's exactly the point. This pipe clearly ISN'T worth 20K. No-one is willing to pay that much on more than one offering (I remember this as well). When it sells, it'll be worth exactly what was paid for it. I'll offer $100.


You got it!

Nice looking pipe, BTW Robert. :tu I'm guessing whoever is selling it put that up as a buy now to perhaps influence the bidding. "Well, gosh, it's GOT to be worth more than $5000! I'll just put in a bid for $6K and see what happens. Maybe I'll steal it! :banana:"


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

freestoke said:


> ...I paid $35 for the Sasieni Mayfair, which was WAY too much at the time, 1973-ish...


For my own amusement (how sad...) I tried to factor up the 1973 dollar price to 2012 values (about *$180* by one calculator; over 300 by another; Jim's 141) and looked at how long the average (UK) person would have needed to work to earn that value.

1973 - About 2.9 days
2012 - About 1.2 days

Which clearly means that we all should buy more pipes. I try my best.

(And given that Jim would only have been a slip of a lad back then, possibly an urchin forced up chimneys to clean them - A REALLY expensive pipe.)


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

steinr1 said:


> (And given that Jim would only have been a slip of a lad back then, possibly an urchin forced up chimneys to clean them - A REALLY expensive pipe.)


Remember, the telephone bill was about $25 a month, which is more than I pay for my cellphone now in today's dollars, and I couldn't call anywhere long distance for free. Some things don't compute out well with those inflation calculators. I paid $5100 for a brand new Jaguar XKE in 1966, for example, which was FAR cheaper at the time than the new Jaguar quasi-equivalent at something like $80000. My salary in 1973 was $17500/yr, I think, just above entry level programmer, $25000 if 1976, so I could afford it easily enough.


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

freestoke said:


> Remember, the telephone bill was about $25 a month, which is more than I pay for my cellphone now in today's dollars, and I couldn't call anywhere long distance for free. Some things don't compute out well with those inflation calculators. I paid $5100 for a brand new Jaguar XKE in 1966, for example, which was FAR cheaper at the time than the new Jaguar quasi-equivalent at something like $80000. My salary in 1973 was $17500/yr, I think, just above entry level programmer, $25000 if 1976, so I could afford it easily enough.


A friend is just starting restoration of his Mk 1 E-Type Coupe. Bought in, I think, 1974 for £400 - under $700. And that was for a "good one". You could get a half decent drivable example for far less. I was the last person to drive it before it was put away "temporarily" for the last 15 years. Stunning car. They really don't and can't make them like than anymore. Far too outrageous. And just the thing to be driving while smoking a pipe.

Old "technology" like pipes ought to translate pretty well in value terms; if anything, the scarcity of the craftsmen should make them more expensive. But thankfully, we are actually just better off in general. THESE are the good old days...


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> You got it!
> 
> Nice looking pipe, BTW Robert. :tu I'm guessing whoever is selling it put that up as a buy now to perhaps influence the bidding. "Well, gosh, it's GOT to be worth more than $5000! I'll just put in a bid for $6K and see what happens. Maybe I'll steal it! :banana:"


That makes sense, and might work if he picked a realistic number. Still, maybe he's happy to hold on to it until someone's willing to meet that price. If that's the case, maybe his heirs will come down a little...


----------



## rogermugs (Jun 4, 2012)

My most expensive pipe was about $50 when I bought it in college. No idea what the price difference would be counting inflation but I'm guessing not much. 

I'm also curious, how many of you think your most expensive pipe smokes noticeably better? I tend to find my cheapos work great. Especially my recent obsession with my MM's


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

rogermugs said:


> I'm also curious, how many of you think your most expensive pipe smokes noticeably better? I tend to find my cheapos work great. Especially my recent obsession with my MM's


The thing that matters most with a briar pipe from a smoking standpoint (within reason) is the drill. If it has a good drill it smokes fine. The other thing that can ruin a good smoke is an uncomfortable stem, which seems to appear at least as often on expensive pipes as cheap ones, maybe even more often as the maker strives for "originality".


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

freestoke said:


> The thing that matters most with a briar pipe from a smoking standpoint (within reason) is the drill. If it has a good drill it smokes fine. The other thing that can ruin a good smoke is an uncomfortable stem, which seems to appear at least as often on expensive pipes as cheap ones, maybe even more often as the maker strives for "originality".


Didactic mode on...

Certainly basic construction accuracy is vital. But I'd also add that "It's the wood, stupid". Really good briar is a magical thing. Reams have been written on how and why the wood "works" and much of it is trash IM(not so)HO. But a couple of basic things do shine through. Weight and water absorption or, in my opinion, transpiration.

Weight to make it light and comfortable (which a good pipe needs to be - hence your accurate point on uncomfortable stems), and good at transpiring water to get rid of the combustion products and keep the tobacco load relatively dry (allowing you to smoke cooler while keeping the damned thing alight). *Really* good briar is pretty much a thing of the past; age of the burl is vital. The really old roots have already been dug up and made into pipes. Look to estates. We also need to add that the old briar needs to be properly "processed", seasoned and given time to settle. A lot of time.

I've got a few old Barling pipes which were renowned for their perfect construction and use of old, properly seasoned Algerian briar. They WORK. The "Ye Olde Wood" variants are even better, I'm told. But they have price tags that reflect this and the supply of them is mostly in the US (take advantage you lucky buggers - couple of hundred dollars will get you one of the best pipes in the world. Dunhill be damned!)

Grain plays no part in quality of the smoke (although old wood briar tends to be "interesting"). Straight grain is no advantage. It just looks nice. Flawless (visually, not internal or gross) doesn't matter a jot either.

I agree with the comment about shape "originality". The basic pipe shapes have been refined over centuries and I find it hard to believe that someone now will suddenly come up with a shape that changes the basic game.

A cross between a Barling Ye Old Wood and a bent Genod with a perfect curved drilling (all other bent pipes are a compromise of construction) is my ultimate pipe. Find me a few of those for a couple of hundred pounds or dollars apiece and I'll be a happy man.

Didactic mode off...


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

steinr1 said:


> Didactic mode on...
> 
> Certainly basic construction accuracy is vital. But I'd also add that "It's the wood, stupid". Really good briar is a magical thing. Reams have been written on how and why the wood "works" and much of it is trash IM(not so)HO. But a couple of basic things do shine through. *Weight and water absorption* or, in my opinion, transpiration.


My 50 year old Dunhill group 3-sh bulldog weighs over 50 grams and smokes like crap (and has a HORRIBLE stem! :tsk. My Sasieni 40 year old TwoDot Canadian weighs 33 grams despite being larger, with more wood. I remember noticing that Dunhill pipes weighed more than Sasieni pipes of the same size when looking at them in Mincer's Pipe Shop, back in 1961. Mr. Mincer said the Sasieni's were a much better deal, just as good a pipe with better briar (and better stems!). Won't get any argument from me here! Good briar will smoke better than bad if my two examples are any indication.


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

freestoke said:


> My 50 year old Dunhill group 3-sh bulldog weighs over 50 grams and smokes like crap (and has a HORRIBLE stem! :tsk. My Sasieni 40 year old TwoDot Canadian weighs 33 grams despite being larger, with more wood. I remember noticing that Dunhill pipes weighed more than Sasieni pipes of the same size when looking at them in Mincer's Pipe Shop, back in 1961. Mr. Mincer said the Sasieni's were a much better deal, just as good a pipe with better briar (and better stems!). Won't get any argument from me here! Good briar will smoke better than bad if my two examples are any indication.


Ah, Dunhill... Apologies to the aficionados, but I really don't get it. Well made, very high quality manufacture. But the Patented Dunhill Process. I'm really not sure about it. Boiled in some sort of oil to drive out the natural oils, replacing them and speeding up the seasoning process. I may well be wrong about that, but that was my understanding and I'm not sure about it at all. You'd think think it would make the pipe heavier than it needed to be. I've only ever had one and I wasn't impressed. I've lost it and I'm not THAT annoyed.

As usual, I'm ready for the Dunhill enthusiast onslaught...


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

rogermugs said:


> My most expensive pipe was about $50 when I bought it in college. No idea what the price difference would be counting inflation but I'm guessing not much.
> 
> I'm also curious, how many of you think your most expensive pipe smokes noticeably better? I tend to find my cheapos work great. Especially my recent obsession with my MM's


My Cavicchis smoke noticeably better than my Stanwells. My Stanwells smoke noticeably better than my cheap basket pipes.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

steinr1 said:


> Ah, Dunhill... Apologies to the aficionados, but I really don't get it. Well made, very high quality manufacture. But the Patented Dunhill Process. I'm really not sure about it. Boiled in some sort of oil to drive out the natural oils, replacing them and speeding up the seasoning process. I may well be wrong about that, but that was my understanding and I'm not sure about it at all. You'd think think it would make the pipe heavier than it needed to be. I've only ever had one and I wasn't impressed. I've lost it and I'm not THAT annoyed.
> 
> As usual, I'm ready for the Dunhill enthusiast onslaught...


The thing is, from what I've read, they haven't done the oil-cured thing in years. Dunhill today is just a nicely made factory pipe. Oops; I left out "overpriced"...


----------



## rogermugs (Jun 4, 2012)

MarkC said:


> My Cavicchis smoke noticeably better than my Stanwells. My Stanwells smoke noticeably better than my cheap basket pipes.


And your MM's fall where in the spectrum I'm curious?


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

That's a very good question, although keep in mind that I've been comparing briar to briar so far. It's been a while, so let me pack a bowl and see. I'll be back in a bit... 

Ooooh...still time to edit this post!

There's really no way to compare a MM to a briar pipe; the construction of the MM, say what we would refer to as the drilling in a briar pipe, is of course, a joke. The hole is nowhere near the bottom of the bowl, the stem actually protrudes into the pipe, etc. In addition, I would classify a MM as having too open of a draw (my choice; I hate the filter, and it's made to use the filter), but that problem has been solved for me with a Forever Stem. 

That said, as far as smoking performance excluding the obvious bottom of the bowl problem, I'd say they surpass my Stanwells. The only difference I can spot (other than taste) is that I can 'not puff' for a longer period of time with my Cavicchis and still not need a relight.


----------



## rogermugs (Jun 4, 2012)

MarkC said:


> That said, as far as smoking performance excluding the obvious bottom of the bowl problem, I'd say they surpass my Stanwells.


Certainly makes me wonder if MM offered a $150 pipe if everyone would be able to get over our mental perception of them being cheap and rank it amongst the best. Some already do, but I admit to the mental hang up of liking my $5 better than than $50+ dollar pipes all the time. I find myself reaching for briar just because I know what they cost, but every time I'm on my favorite tobaccos i don't want to "waste" them on anything less than my MM's. but I'm uncertain any of my briars are worth writing home about.

Hence the question. This has become a fascinating thread, sorry if I hijacked.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Well...if they were to offer a $150 pipe, it would have to at least eliminate the "obvious bottom of the bowl problem" for one thing. Let's face it, their being cheap is not just a mental perception. Not only is the material cheaper, shoving a stick in a hole of a cob isn't exactly on the same level as carving the whole body of the pipe out of briar. And saying I'd put it ahead of my Stanwells for smoking performance doesn't exactly put it 'amongst the best'. But I get your point; how often do we get a new poster here who wants advice on a pipe to start with but won't even consider a cob because of their preconceptions. It's a shame, but I figure it's their loss, and there's not much we can do about it. One thing's for sure; if you're talking 'bang for the buck', nothing can beat a cob.

By the way, this doesn't seem like a threadjack to me; seems like a logical course of the conversation. But I've been accused of going off topic before...


----------



## iggy_jet (Dec 27, 2012)

My first pipe was a Cob.
It was always on a shelf in my garage and anytime I tinkered with the car or motorcycle i would lite it up and take a break.
Not sure why i went and got a briar pipe... Hmmmmm
Sometimes simplicity is best :ask:
Might just go and get one and leave it in the garage again... it was nice not to care if you dropped it, got grease on it .... it was always there and smoked very well...


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Well...if they were to offer a $150 pipe, it would have to at least eliminate the "obvious bottom of the bowl problem" for one thing.


Or you could smoke it until the space under the "tray" fills in with ash and gunk, at which point the draught hole is point on. :tu I try not to burn off or damage that tray as I smoke a cob in the early going -- actually, ever. I never scrap out the bottom the way I do a briar every so often. Eventually the bottom looks pretty much like a briar.


----------



## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

I'm no expert on the smoking qualities of a cob. I've owned two in thirty years of pipes, on and off. One a mini (which recently burnt through when I attempted to reacquaint myself with what a cob was like) and one more "standard" straight one - which is missing in action.

What I remember of them is that they do smoke perfectly well, but no "better" to my memory than a decent briar - at least in terms of the physical conversion of tobacco into smoke, water and ash. But I also remember a couple of "issues". The wooden stem burns internally for a while (I can't see that as a good thing...) and I do also remember that there was a distinct taste to it. Unsurprisingly, of corn. I think I've seen people refer to this and say that it does fade, but that's not my memory. Maybe I never smoked it enough (though I doubt it...). I feel that this quality was always there, albeit definitely much stronger (to the point of me finding it unpleasant) at first.

There is a difference discernible between my Cherrywood and briar pipes - I think - in terms of taste. But I always think of this as the Cherrywood having a taste and the briar being neutral. I also use "the pipe" quite a bit for tasting of tobaccos I'm not familiar with. They are definitely neutral and I can't detect any difference in the taste from a briar apart from there being more intensity in the plastic/carbon pipes (but they have many downsides too).

I feel that this lack of "pipe taste" is one part of the mix that makes up a "good" pipe. If cobs do indeed impart a long-term taste of their own, I would view it as a fault. I'm happy to admit that Cherrywood is flawed in this respect. The other flaws of briar - ghosting and needing to rest - are mitigated by having enough pipes in a rotation and sticking to one blend per pipe. Admittedly not an easy ask.

In terms of value for money, cobs seem to be a no-brainer. But...

*Are cobs flawed in terms of affecting the smoke's taste? Should I have smoked harder and everything would have been fine? Or do you see any added taste as a virtue?*

(No apologies for drifting this thread even further off line... I love it.)


----------



## rogermugs (Jun 4, 2012)

steinr1 said:


> *Are cobs flawed in terms of affecting the smoke's taste? Should I have smoked harder and everything would have been fine? Or do you see any added taste as a virtue?*


If anything I was under the impression the cob offered one of the most clean-tasting smoking experiences.... at least that's been my experience and what I've read. I have heard about eventual stem-wood flavor leaking through, but people talk about that taking a while to rear its head, and then waning quickly thereafter. Never experienced it myself.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> Or you could smoke it until the space under the "tray" fills in with ash and gunk, at which point the draught hole is point on. :tu I try not to burn off or damage that tray as I smoke a cob in the early going -- actually, ever. I never scrap out the bottom the way I do a briar every so often. Eventually the bottom looks pretty much like a briar.


Exactly what I do. But if I've got to fix the pipe, I'm not paying the maker for the job!


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

steinr1 said:


> What I remember of them is that they do smoke perfectly well, but no "better" to my memory than a decent briar - at least in terms of the physical conversion of tobacco into smoke, water and ash. But I also remember a couple of "issues". The wooden stem burns internally for a while (I can't see that as a good thing...) and I do also remember that there was a distinct taste to it. Unsurprisingly, of corn. I think I've seen people refer to this and say that it does fade, but that's not my memory. Maybe I never smoked it enough (though I doubt it...). I feel that this quality was always there, albeit definitely much stronger (to the point of me finding it unpleasant) at first.
> 
> There is a difference discernible between my Cherrywood and briar pipes - I think - in terms of taste. But I always think of this as the Cherrywood having a taste and the briar being neutral. I also use "the pipe" quite a bit for tasting of tobaccos I'm not familiar with. They are definitely neutral and I can't detect any difference in the taste from a briar apart from there being more intensity in the plastic/carbon pipes (but they have many downsides too).
> 
> ...


Well...first of all, I disagree that a briar pipe is neutral. The added flavors I taste in my virginias when smoking in a briar vs smoking in a meer must be coming from somewhere. As for the cob flavor, as far as it being strong enough to recognize as cob, I'm afraid I'm one of the ones that notices it early and then sees it fade away. At that point, the effect to me is no more distracting than a briar. As I tend to smoke different tobaccos in each (last nights HOTW in a cob was a rarity), I probably wouldn't notice the variance.


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> As for the cob flavor, as far as it being strong enough to recognize as cob, I'm afraid I'm one of the ones that notices it early and then sees it fade away.


I taste the pine stem, not the corncob when I'm breaking one in. Turpentine. Once it boils off and gets coated with proper tobacco gunk and the "tray" chars over, I don't taste it any more. Takes me about a dozen bowls for the initial break-in period, maybe ten times that to fill in the bottom. (Disclaimer: I have one of the most undiscriminating palates on the forum. :tsk


----------



## MiamiMikePA (May 16, 2012)

Most expensive I own would be the Tinsky 3 star, but as far as the cost I have no idea as it was a gift. Most expensive I bought was a Tinsky 1 star freehand...think I paid $350.


----------



## iggy_jet (Dec 27, 2012)

I was in store today and there on the wall was s very simple MM with a straight stem.. and It was only $5.
Well, I couldn't resist, It came home with me. Not that I needed one, but now I got one. 

arty:


----------



## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

I was reading Rick Newcombe's second book last night, Still Searching for Pipe Dreams. He's the "high grade collector" who promoted Bo Nordh heavily in pipe magazine articles for years, along with S Bang and some other pipe makers, perhaps contributing to these $10,000+ prices. In the second book, he does pause for a few minutes to wonder if it makes sense, although he still obviously believes that his multi thousand dollar pipes actually smoke better than a "mere" $500+ pipe. He does recommend that for the unfortunate people who can't afford a Bo Nordh, they MIGHT be able to get a comparable pipe for considerably less by choosing a less well known maker. Haha. I enjoyed his book, but I think he's a bit kooky on the issue. 

My most expensive pipes so far have been an Altinok meer, for a couple of hundred dollars, and two patent era Dunhills for about $75 each, which I'm FINALLY about to send for full restoration and new stems. Unrestored, but cleaned, they aren't my favorite pipes. That prize goes to a John Bessai pipe, made sometime in the 1960s in Ohio, Cleveland, and a Malaga from the same era. Both cost well under $40. I guess those guys in the 60's didn't spend a whole week making a single pipe, they had customers lining up that they needed to serve, and the customers just wanted good smoking pipes. I guess they also didn't look for the "the perfect piece of briar" for each of their "artistic creations". Even so, I still believe that the old estates from that era are some of the best deals you can get. I now have about 14 Malaga pipes, of which about 10 are just fantastic, the other four are a bit sub-par and/or the wrong shape and size for me.

Haha. I work for a publishing company, my boss was shouting the other day about wanting a few more craftsmen around the company and a lot less artists. I sympathize with that statement.


----------



## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

Hahaha. I'll sit out this round.

RARE Old Vintage Antique African Smoking Pipe | eBay


----------



## mike t (Oct 21, 2008)

i have a couple 1 is a design berlin globe pipe now mind you i didn't pay what its worth but it's an 850.00 pipe and a savinelli diamond line which i was told is a higher grade than an autograph 00, so i'm assuming it's passed the 1000.00 price. i got both of them unsmoked for less than 250.00. but the most i've paid for a pipe is a vauen horst lichter 12 for 245.00


----------



## philly121 (Nov 5, 2012)

My Savinelli Churchwarden was $70.


----------



## kuntry08 (Mar 22, 2011)

A Radice Rind (O) Billiard with a twist


----------

